Tips to avoid air and other travel delays during your Summertime Travel, from eXpectdelaYs.com.
It's Summer! The weather's warm, the sun is out and your ready to go on vacation, or perhaps a nice business trip. Whatever you are planning, you will probably have a more enjoyable time if your trip is delay free. While I can't promise that you won't have a flight delay or that you may wait in an airport security checkpoint line for a few minutes, or find yourself in a little traffic, I can offer you a few tips to minimize your travel delays. If you don't have time to read this whole article now, just remember to check the essentials on expectdelays.com before you leave your house:
- Check your flight to make sure it's not delayed
- Check traffic on the way to the airport
- Check the wait time at security screening
- Check parking lot status.
Be flexible and save time! If you have any flexibility in your travel dates, you can decrease your chance of flight delays, airport security screening wait times and other issues that happen on high volume days. You can also save some money traveling on less popular days and times as well. The days and times that have the highest volume in part depend on what your origin and destination cities are. For example, if your travel includes a place that has a high volume of business travelers, then you would want to avoid peak business travel times like Sunday afternoon/evening, Monday morning and Friday. If your travel plans are to a vacation destination, then some of the largest crowds will be due to people taking weekend trips (Friday and Sunday travel days) and as you can see, this is also the time that business travelers are at their peak as well. Thus, traveling Saturday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are likely to get you the least crowds, and the possibly the best prices as well.
Be flexible and save time in line! Less popular days and times may translate into shorter airport security screening checkpoint wait times. Check the TSA's website to get historical information on airport security checkpoint wait times based on date from the past 30 days. Assuming that the airport will be the least crowded when security wait times are the shortest, you can also suspect that other lines you may encounter at the airport, such as flight check-in, concessions, etc, may also be shorter at these times as well. Remember, since these airport security checkpoint wait times are based on the last 30 days of data, they will more likely resemble the times that you will encounter as you get closer to your travel date.
Be flexible and save money on flights!
If you are flexible in your travel times and dates, you also may be
able to get less expensive flights. Check out sites like Hotwire.com,
where, you choose the day that you want to travel, your origin and
destination airports, and they will offer you a cheap option on a
flight. The only catch is that they don't tell you the time of your flight or
airline until you purchase the ticket, but all you have to do is be
willing to fly on a flight that has 0-1 stops each way (departing and
returning) and a scheduled departure between 6am and 10pm and they
will give you a flight with confirmed seating -- you'll never fly
standby and you'll save money! You also have the choice of picking a
flight the usual way – you will know the airline and flight times
before you pay – but you will not get the big savings. If you like
to shop around for prices before you buy, then I recommend Kayak.com.
They don't sell airline tickets or hotel rooms themselves, but they
do search a whole bunch of other travel, hotel and airline sites for
you, to help you find the best price. Check Kayak.com out to Find Cheap Flights from 100+ Sites with One Click.
Be flexible and save on hotels!
Hotwire.com is also a great place to go to save money on hotels. You
choose the day and place that you need a hotel room, and they will
give you a list of hotels to choose from. The only catch is that you
won't know the exact hotel until you pay, but you will know the
hotel's star rating and amenities before you buy, so you will have some idea what to
expect. I have used their service many times and it has always worked
out well. Same as for airline tickets, if you want to shop around
before you buy, then let Kayak.com look at a bunch of web sites for
you to find hotel availability and the best hotel rates. Follow this link to have Kayak.com find you great hotel rates and Discount Hotels
Pack Light and save time and money! Now that many airlines have added fees even for your first piece of checked luggage (many will take effect in August), and the extra bag fees and overweight bag fees have become really expensive, it really "pays" to pack lightly. If you can get away with a carry-on bag only, go for it! If you pack only the essentials, plan to do a little washing in the sink, and bring versatile shoes, it is amazing how little you can actually bring on a trip. Just be sure to pay attention to the restrictions on what you can pack in a carry-on bag, especially regarding liquids (see Be prepared, and don't wait in line! below). Carrying on your bags saves the time you have to wait to check them in, and probably more importantly, the time you have to wait to retrieve them. The trade off is that with more people carrying on their luggage, it may take a little longer to get flights boarded, and the overhead storage space may fill up, so you may wind up having to check your bag at the gate if there is no room to accomodate it in the cabin. If you are checking a bag, then do your best to follow your airline's baggage weight, number and size restrictions because having to pay extra fees will cost you in both money and time. Many of the airlines are planning on enabling you to pay the initial luggage fees at the time you purchase your ticket, which can save you time, as long as you do not incur any additional fees that you will have to pay at check-in such as your bag being oversized or overweight.
Be prepared, and don't wait in line! If you are not planning on checking baggage on your flight, and are only going to have a “carry-on” then it really pays to check-in for your flight on-line before you head to the airport. Just go to your airline's web site, and there is generally a link on their home page. You can select your seats and print out your boarding pass at home, and then just head straight to the airport security screening line. Just be sure that you have checked the limitations on how large your carry-on may be, and what is allowed through security screening and any special preparations that need to be made (such as all of your liquids being in 3 oz bottles in a 1 quart plastic bag). Check the TSA's website for up-to-date restrictions on what you can bring through the airport security checkpoint, and your airline's website for restrictions on the size and number of carry on items allowed per person.
Check for flight delays! Before you leave for the airport, check on your flight to make sure there has been no change in flight schedule or a flight delay. That's easy to do right from our home page, http://expectdelays.com. Either choose the city you are traveling from or use the Flight Status search box on our home page. Also always check security wait times, traffic and weather before you leave the house and check out our Tips for Avoiding Air Travel Delays for additional suggestions
Make sure there's a space for your car! Many airports have real-time parking lot status where you can check the number of spaces available in each lot to help you plan where to park as well as how much time you will need. Just follow the parking links that we provide for each city on http://expectdelays.com.
Pack a little snack! If you encounter a delay, especially if you are unfortunate enough to get stuck in traffic or are sitting inside a plane waiting to take off or for a gate, you will be happy that you packed something to eat, such as an energy bar, fruit or a sandwich (that doesn't require refrigeration). I always make sure that I buy a bottle of water once I am through security as well, so that I always have something to drink. If you remain well hydrated and you aren't hungry, you will be able to better withstand travel and flight delays.
Bring something to pass the time! Make sure you have your music player of choice, a book, magazine, computer or PDA so that you have something to do should you have a delay. Waiting is much more tolerable if you have something to pass the times.
Don't get lost! If you are renting a car at you destination and you don't know your way around, save yourself some time and aggravation and be sure to plan ahead. Map the route from the airport to the hotel ahead of time, and to any destinations (restaurants, beaches, etc) that you might want to go to. Better yet, bring a GPS or rent a car with one. Bringing a map is also a good idea. The extra time and/or money invested before your trip will give you more time to have fun on your vacation. Also, don't forget to plan your route back to the airport, taking into account travel time for the time of day (i.e. rush hour, etc), so that the finale of your trip can also be stress free. You can check traffic right here on expectdelays.com!
Stop that Growling Stomach! Investigate your dining choices ahead of time. If there is a restaurant that you would like to go to during a busy travel week, or on a Friday or Saturday night, save yourself from disappointment by making a reservation either before you leave or as soon as you get to your destination. Many restaurants take reservations on-line, but if they don't, with long-distance charges now cheap, spend a few cents and give them a call.
A little research goes a long way! Check out attractions and activities at your destination ahead of time in either a travel guide book or on-line. If you have a few ideas of places you want to go to and things that you would like to do ahead of time, you'll be able to spend more time actually doing them!
We can't guarantee you a delay free vacation, but with these tips you should be able to spend more time enjoying your time away! Remember, if you eXpect delaYs, you can beat them!
Happy Travels!
-Gus
